Megan Brincks and Lindsay Berreth

The winner of the junior beginner novice division of the American Eventing Chamionships—an Appaloosa ridden by 15-year-old Melissa Morris—stood out from the crowd for his flashy coloring, but Morris’ story makes it clear the pair was unlikely from their first day together to win the title.

Morris purchased RSR Private Eye as a 2-year-old stallion for $250 to be a 4-H prospect, but that arena was not his forte.

“He was super spooky and didn’t really do anything in 4-H—he wasn’t good at it,” Morris explained.

Not only did Jessica Phoenix’s husband, Joel, surprise her by coming to watch her compete at the Jersey Fresh Three-Day Event with their son, Jacob, but she also won the CCI*** competition on Exponential, making for a very special Mother’s Day.

Going into show jumping, they were second behind Buck Davidson and D.A. Adirmo, and when Jessica took down a rail, she doubted she'd end up in the winner’s circle.

However, Davidson had two rails on the relatively green gelding, giving Jessica the win.